NASCAR Xfinity Series points leader Connor Zilisch lands a Cup ride with Trackhouse Racing

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Connor Zilisch paused to compose himself before wiping away tears, then spent the next 20 minutes using his shirt as a handkerchief.

It was an emotional promotion at Daytona International Speedway, even if it was one of the worst-kept secrets in NASCAR this season.

Zilisch, a 19-year-old phenom who has seven victories in NASCAR's second-tier Xfinity Series, officially landed a Cup ride for 2026 on Saturday. It was long expected to happen, so much so that Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks joked that “we're here to shock the world with an announcement that nobody saw coming.”

Marks said Zilisch signed a multiyear contract to drive full time for Trackhouse next year. Zilisch will replace Daniel Suárez in a yet-to-be-numbered Chevrolet and join teammates Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen in Marks' three-car team.

“I never thought I would make it anywhere in racing,” Zilisch said before pausing to compose himself. "My parents have been behind me since Day 1, through every moment, the good, the bad. There were many times I questioned why I left school, left my friends to make this commitment to go to the Cup Series and try and chase a dream of racing in motorsports.

"I never knew what was ahead of me. There were times five years ago I thought I was just going to go to college and live the life of a normal kid.”

Both of Zilisch's parents teared up as he spoke, with his dad later saying his son is “normally very stoic.”

Zilisch raced competitively in go-karts as a kid, including a stint in Europe at age 11. The Mooresville, North Carolina, driver turned pro in 2021.

Since then, Zilisch found success in every series he’s entered. In the last two years, he won the 2024 Rolex 24 and the 12 Hours of Sebring as well as five ARCA races, two NASCAR Truck Series poles, plus a victory in a CARS Tour late model race.

Zilisch has been a Trackhouse developmental driver for two years. He showed he's ready for NASCAR's top level by winning often with JR Motorsports. He currently leads the Xfinity Series points standings.

He has eight victories in 27 Xfinity starts. He has reeled off 12 consecutive top-five finishes, including winning at Daytona on Friday night after giving way to backup driver Parker Kligerman.

Zilisch started the race less than two weeks after breaking his collarbone during a nasty, slip-and-fall accident in victory lane. He was cleared to return at Daytona and started the race. Kligerman stepped in during the event, and Zilisch ran across the infield grass to greet him at the finish line.

Zilisch had surgery last week to insert a plate in his shoulder to stabilize the broken bone. His foot caught on his window net at Watkins Glen on Aug. 9, causing him to fall head-first onto the concrete.

“Connor is a rare talent that comes along every few decades,” Marks said. “I have watched Connor grow from a kid racing go-karts at the Trackhouse Motorplex to an up-close seat as he beat all of us in the Trans Am races a few years ago. He quickly adapted to everything we have put him in, and what he is doing with JR Motorsports in Xfinity this season is historic.

“Connor is very mature, poised, and I know ready for Cup racing in 2026. He’s been mentored along the way by former racer Josh Wise and Dr. Eric Warren at General Motors. I can speak for everyone at Trackhouse Racing when I say we have a tremendous amount of faith in this young man.”

Marks expects to announce Zilisch’s car number, sponsorship, crew chief and crew lineup in the coming weeks.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Dr. Eric Warren, left, vice president of global motorsports competition of General Motors, jokes with driver Connor Zilisch during an auto racing news conference at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

NASCAR driver Connor Zilisch answers questions during an auto racing news conference at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

NASCAR driver Connor Zilisch, left, listens as Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks answers questions at an auto racing news conference at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

NASCAR driver Connor Zilisch answers questions during an auto racing news conference at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

FILE - Connor Zilisch smiles prior to a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, May 25, 2025, in Concord, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley, file)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A state appeals court will decide whether to dismiss felony voter misconduct charges against an Alaska resident born in American Samoa, one of numerous cases that has put a spotlight on the complex citizenship status of people born in the U.S. territory.

The Alaska Court of Appeals heard arguments Thursday in the case against Tupe Smith, who was arrested after winning election to a regional school board in 2023. Smith has said she relied on erroneous information from local election officials in the community of Whittier when she identified herself as a U.S. citizen on voter registration forms.

American Samoa is the only U.S. territory where residents are not automatically granted citizenship by being born on American soil and instead are considered U.S. nationals. Paths to citizenship exist, such as naturalization, though that process can be expensive and cumbersome.

American Samoans can serve in the military, obtain U.S. passports and vote in elections in American Samoa, but they cannot hold public office in the U.S. or participate in most U.S. elections.

Smith's attorneys have asked the appeals court to reverse a lower court's decision that let stand the indictment brought against her. Smith's supporters say she made an innocent mistake that does not merit charges, but the state has argued that Smith falsely and deliberately claimed citizenship.

State prosecutors separately have brought charges against 10 other people from American Samoa in Whittier, including Smith’s husband, Michael Pese.

Thursday's arguments centered on the meaning of the word intentionally.

Smith “and others like her who get caught up in Alaska’s confusing election administration system and do not have any intent to mislead or deceive should not face felony voter misconduct charges,” one of her attorneys, Whitney Brown, told the court.

But Kayla Doyle, an assistant attorney general, said that as part of ensuring election integrity, it's important that oaths being relied upon are accurate.

About 25 people gathered on a snowy street outside the Anchorage courthouse before Thursday’s hearing to support Smith. Some carried signs that read, ”We support Samoans.”

State Sen. Forrest Dunbar, a Democrat who attended the rally, said the Alaska Department of Law has limited resources.

“We should be going after people who are genuine criminals, who are violent criminals, or at least have the intent to deceive,” he said.

In a court filing in 2024, one of Smith's previous attorneys said that when Smith answered questions from the Alaska state trooper who arrested her, she said she was aware that she could not vote in presidential elections but was “unaware of any other restrictions on her ability to vote."

Smith said she marks herself as a U.S. national on paperwork. But when there was no such option on voter registration forms, she was told by city representatives that it was appropriate to mark U.S. citizen, according to the filing.

Smith “exercised what she believed was her right to vote in a local election. She did so without any intent to mislead or deceive anyone,” her current attorneys said in a filing in September. “Her belief that U.S. nationals may vote in local elections, which was supported by advice from City of Whittier election officials, was simply mistaken.”

The state has said Smith falsely and deliberately claimed citizenship. Prosecutors pointed to the language on the voter application forms she filled out in 2020 and 2022, which explicitly said that if the applicant was not at least 18 years old and a U.S. citizen, “do not complete this form, as you are not eligible to vote.”

The counts Smith was indicted on “did not have anything to do with her belief in her ability to vote in certain elections; rather they concerned the straightforward question of whether or not Smith intentionally and falsely swore she was a United States citizen,” Doyle said in a court filing last year.

One of Smith's attorneys, Neil Weare, co-founder of the Washington-based Right to Democracy Project, has said the appeals court could dismiss the case or send it back to the lower court “to consider whether the state can meet the standard it has set forth for voter misconduct.” The state also could decide to file other charges if the case is dismissed, he said.

The court did not give a timeline for when it would issue a ruling.

Bohrer reported from Juneau, Alaska.

State Sen. Forrest Dunbar, left, stands with supporters of Tupe Smith gathered Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, outside the Boney Courthouse in Anchorage, Alaska, ahead of the Alaska Court of Appeals hearing a challenge to the voter misconduct case brought against American Samoa native Tupe Smith by the state. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

Supporters of Tupe Smith gather outside the Boney Courthouse in Anchorage, Alaska, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, ahead of the Alaska Court of Appeals hearing a challenge to the voter misconduct case brought against American Samoa native Tupe Smith by the state. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

Michael Pese and his wife, Tupe Smith, stand outside the Boney Courthouse in Anchorage, Alaska, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, ahead of the Alaska Court of Appeals hearing a challenge to the voter fraud case brought against her by the state. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

Michael Pese, left, his wife, Tupe Smith, and their son Maximus pose for a photo outside the Boney Courthouse in Anchorage, Alaska, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, ahead of the Alaska Court of Appeals hearing a challenge to the voter fraud case brought against her by the state. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

FILE - Tupe Smith poses for a photo outside the school in Whittier, Alaska, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)